Mist removing device



Jan. 1'; 1963 R. A. BUB

I MIST REMOVING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1960 INVENTOR.

4 #1.: xrran/vsvs Jan. 1, 1963 R. A. BUB

MIST REMOVING DEV-ICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1960 I INVENTOR. 2054-??? A. 505

Ms 47'TOR/VEY5 Jan. 1, 1963 R. A. BUB 3,070,937

MIST REMOVING DEVICE Filed May 5. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR. R0550? .4. 81/8 w,auwww%.

HIS ATZQENEKS United fltates Patentfiflice Patented Jan. 1, 1%63 3,07%,937 MIST REP/it) VlNG DEVICE Robert A. Bab, Penn Hilts, Pa, assignor to Mine Safety Appiiances Company, Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Fried May 5, 1960, Ser. No. 26,988 4 Claims. (Cl. 55-387) This invention relates to devices for removing mist from a fluid stream.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide such a mist remover, which is simple and inexpensive to make, which agglomerates mist particles in a fluid stream flowing through it, which absorbs the agglomerated mist, and which can be made easily in several different forms.

In accordance with this invention flat sheets and corrugated sheets of absorbing material are stacked together in alternating reiation, with all of the corrugations extending in the same general direction. The stack of sheets is then sliced across the corrugations in parallel planes to form a plurality of sections, alternate ones of which are then turned 180 in planes that are parallel to the sections beside them. Each section is formed from alternating flat and corrugated strips. The sections are held in contact with one another to form a unit having a multiplicity of tortuous fluid passages extending through 'it across the side edges of the corrugated strips. The moisture particles in a fluid flowing through this unit will be agglomerated therein and absorbed by the various strips, with which the fluid comes in contact.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a corrugated sheet overlying a fiat sheet;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a stack of such sheets that has been sliced through, with one section pulled out to the side;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of a complete device, showing the absorption unit after alternate sections have been turned over and the unit mounted in a frame; I

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing two adjoining sections of the unit;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cylindrical device, in which the absorption unit was made in the same way as the one shown in the preceding figures;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a further modification, with portions broken away, and

PEG. 7 is an end view of a still further modification of the invention, with parts of the end wall broken away.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, flat sheets 1 and corrugated sheets 2 of absorbent material, such as asbestos, are piled together in alternating relation to form a stack of any desired height. The corrugations all extend in the same general direction. All of the sheets may rest loosely on one another, but it is preferred that each corrugated sheet be secured to the flat sheet below it by a suitable adhesive to form a laminated element as shown in FIG. 1.' This makes fewer pieces to handle and also helps to keep the corrugated sheets from being flattened, especially in the next step of the process. After the desired stack has been formed it is cut or sliced across the corrugations in parallel planes that preferably are equally spaced. The rectangular sections thus formed are made up of fiat and corrugated baflie strips, all of which are absorbent.

Each alternate section 3 then is removed from the stack, turned bottom side up and replaced in the stack. That is, alternate sections are rotated 180 in planes parallel to the sections 4 beside them. The result is that when the stack is formed originally in the manner shown in FIG. 2, the undisturbed sections have flat bottom strips and corrugated top strips, and the alternate or inverted sections have corrugated bottom strips and flat top strips, as shown inFlG. 3. Of course, just the reverse could be true, or both top and bottom of the unit could be formed from corrugated strips.

The absorbent sheets used in this device are quite thin and flexible and in actual practice the thickness of the laminated elements shown in FIG. 1 varies considerably from element to element, with the result that in any given stack the flat sheets are located diflerent distances apart. Consequently, when sections 3 are turned bottom side up, their flat baflie strips do not line up with the flat baflie strips in adjoining sections, but lie in vertically offset planes as shown in FIG. 4 so that continuous but tortuous fluid passages through the unit are formed where the sections meet. The block of sections 3 and 4 is surrounded by a frame 5, which holds the sections together and seals the exposed edges of the strips so that the general direction of flow through the device will be perpendicular to the strips. When the complete device is placed across a fluid stream, the fluid will flow not only directly through the tortuous passages but also laterally through the channels formed by the corrugations. In other words, the fluid, in passing through the device, will spread out over all of its surfaces, so the mist in the fluid will come in contact with large surface areas and be absorbed by them.

Although some mist will be removed directly from the stream by absorption, through contact with the various strips, most of the mist particles become agglomerated into larger units which are removed from the stream and are then more effectively absorbed. The cutting of the sheets also aids absorption, because it exposes additional collecting surfaces by tearing fibrous material from the sheets. The fibers thus exposed are usually nonabsorbent than the strips as a whole, for they have not been subjected directly to surface treatments, adhesives and calendering.

It will be understood that frame 5 could extend other ways around the absorption unit; that is, across the outer sides of the end sections as shown and across the top and bottom of the unit, or across the top and bottom and the opposite ends of all of the sections. In the first case, the fluid flow would be in a direction lengthwise of the baflle strips from side to side of the device. This modification is illustrated in FIG. 7, where it will be seen that the walls of the frame -6 cover the top and bottom and the outer sides of the end sections of the absorption unit so that the inlet and outlet of the device are at the ends of the sections 3 and 4. Because the corrugations of each corrugated strip are staggered relative to those of the strips beside it, the fluid passages through the device will be tortuous and the fluid will also be able to flow laterally in the channels formed by the corrugations. In the second example the flow would be transversely across all of the strips, and the device would not be so eifective.

In the modification shown in FIG. 5, the stack from which the absorption unit is made was formed in the same way as the one that has just been described, except that circular absorbent sheets were used instead of rectangular sheets. The unit, formed from alternately inverted sections 7 and 8, is held together by a cylindrical shell 9 made of suitable impervious material that tightly engages the outer edges of the stacked baffle strips. Flow of fluid through the device is lengthwise of the cylindrical shell. As in the first embodiment, the absorption unit contains a great many tortuous passages extending through it, and the fluid spreadsrout over all of its baflle strips, which absorb moisture from the fluid.

A further modification is shown in FIG. 6. In this amass? case a rectangular stack of flat and corrugated absorption sheets is formed and sliced across to provide flat and corrugated strips 11 and 12, and then alternate sections are rotated 180. The unit can be used in that form, or it can be out to make it circular in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the flat strips. The unit is also provided with an axial passage 13 extending through it, and is held together by an encircling screen 14. End caps 1'5 and 16 are fitted over'the opposite ends of the unit. At least one of the caps has a central opening 17 aligned with the central passage 13 through the absorption unit. Fluid can flow into this device through the screen from any angle and then out through the central opening in an end cap. In passing through the multiplicity of tortuous passages and the channels formed by the corrugations, moisture is removed from the fluid by agglomeration and absorption by the baflie strips.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

In a device for removing mist from a fluid stream, a unit formed from a plurality of similarly shaped bafile sections disposed side by side in contact with one another and each including substantially parallel flat absorbent strips spaced apart by transversely corrugated absorbent strips to form channels, each alternate section being turned bottom side up relative to each section beside it to position it 180 out of phase therewith, substantially all of the flat strips in each baffle section being staggered relative to those in each baflle section beside it, means closing the outer ends of the channels in the end baffle sections of the unit, and means compelling the fluid to flow through said unit in a direction transverse to said channels in a multiplicity of tortuous fluid passages formed by said staggered strips and extending across the side edges of the flat and corrugated strips inside the unit.

2. In a device for removing mist from a fluid stream, a unit formed from a plurality of similarly shaped baffie sections, disposed side by side in contact with one another and each including substantially parallel fiat absorbent strips spaced apart by transversely corrugated absorbent strips forming a plurality of channels extending transversely through the section, each alternate section being turned bottom side up relative to each section beside it to position it 180 out of phase therewith, substantially all of the flat strips in each baflle section being staggered relative to those in each baffle section beside it and the channels through said alternate sections being out of line with the channels through the rest of the sections, and a frame covering the outer ends of said channels in the end baffle sections of said unit and also covering the sides of the unit that are parallel to the flat strips, whereby the fluid is compelled to flow through said unit in a multiplicity of tortuous fluid passages formed by said staggered strips and extending lengthwise of said strips.

3. In a device for removing mist from a fluid stream, a unit formed from a plurality of similarly shaped bafile sections disposed side by side in contact with one another and each including substantially parallel flat absorbent baffle strips spaced apart by transversely corrugated absorbent strips to form channels, each alternate section being turned bottom side up relative to each section beside it to position it 180 out of phase therewith,

and the bafiie strips in said alternate sections being out of line with and spaced from the baffle strips in the rest of the sections, said unit being provided with a central opening therethrough extending lengthwise of said channels, and means closing the unit between the ends or" said central opening and the periphery of the unit and compolling the fluid to flow between said periphery and central opening through a multiplicity of tortuous fluid passages forrned by said out-of-line strips and extending through said unit across the side edges of the strips transversely of said channels.

4. In a device for removing mist from a fluid stream, a unit formed from a plurality of similarly shaped bafile sections disposed side by side in contact with one another and each including substantially parallel flat absorbent battle strips spaced apart by transversely corrugated absorbent strips, each alternate section being turned bottom side up relative to each section beside it to position it out of phase therewith the baffle strips in said alternate sections being out of line with and spaced from the baflie strips in the rest of the sections, and means covering all of the sides of said unit where the edges of the strips are located, whereby the fluid is compelled to flow through said unit in a multiplicity of tortuous fluid passages formed by said out-of-line strips and extending transversely of the baffle strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES FATENTS 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR REMOVING MIST FROM A FLUID STREAM, A UNIT FORMED FROM A PLURALITY OF SIMILARLY SHAPED BAFFLE SECTIONS DISPOSED SIDE BY SIDE IN CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND EACH INCLUDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FLAT ABSORBENT STRIPS SPACED APART BY TRANSVERSELY CORRUGAGTED ABSORBENT STRIPS TO FORM CHANNELS, EACH ALTERNATE SECTION BEING TURNED BOTTOM SIDE UP RELATIVE TO EACH SECTION BESIDE IT TO POSITION IT 180* OUT OF PHASE THEREWITH, SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE FLAT STRIPS IN EACH BAFFLE SECTION BEING STAGGERED RELATIVE TO THOSE IN EACH BAFFLE SECTION BESIDE IT, MEANS CLOSING THE OUTER ENDS OF THE CHANNELS IN THE END BAFFLE SECTIONS OF THE UNIT, AND MEANS COMPELLING THE FLUID TO FLOW THROUGH SAID UNIT IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID CHANNELS IN A MULTIPLICITY OF TORTUOUS FLUID PASSAGES FORMED BY SAID STAGGERED STRIPS AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE SIDE EDGES OF THE FLAT AND CORRUGATED STRIPS INSIDE THE UNIT. 